Circular knitting machine



@615- 3 P. A. BENTLEY Er AL 33,408

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed July 1. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 31, 1933. TL AL 1,933,408

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed July 1. 1931 2 Sheets$heet 2 mvzurans PA. Bent) (1F? Mang Qflh/minwrijhf 9.14 GA. BusweH,

Patent ed Oct. 31, 1 933 v 1 l. g 1,933,408

-S AT M Percival. Arthur Bentley, Charles Frederick 'Manger, Carlyle Herbert Wainwright, and George Alfred Buswell, Leicester, England Application July 1, 1931, Serial No. 548,174, and in Great Britain July4, 1930 1 fisclai s. (01. 66- 136 This invention is for improvements in or re- Figures 5 and 6 are views, taken at'righte lating to circular knittingmachines. angles to one another, of a clamp device of the In the U. S. patent to Bentley et al. 1,769,662, mechanism of Figure 4; I granted July l, 1930, there is described a yarn- Figures 7, 8 and 9 are details hereinafter re.- 51 1 feeding mechanism comprising a unitary yarnferred to; I I I 60 feeding device (indicated at 12 in Figure'l of the Figure 10 is a diagrammatic view of the parts drawings of'said specification) which is'movable adjacent the yarn-feeding location ofj the mainto and out of yarn-feeding position in the machine and shows, inter alia, the relative positions chine and which has two yarn-guiding passages. of the two yarn passagesof the feeder of Figure These two passages are so spaced relatively that 2 and, of the latchguard carried by said feeder. whenthe device is at the knitting location of the during the yarn-feeding operation by said feeder; machine the'yarn issuing from one of said'pasand v Y sages'has imparted to it the necessary lead over vFigure 11 is a section on the line 11-11 of the yarn issuing from the other passage so as Figure 10. '1 to ensure that one yarn is knitted into the work The accompanying drawings illustrate only so 7 over the other as a plating yarn. much of the yarn-feeding mechanism and other The present invention provides yarn-feeding parts of the machine as will enable the present mechanism of the kind described in the said prior invention to be understood, it being assumed that patent wherein a unitary yarnfeedingdevice of the mechanism for operating the yarn-feeding V 9, the kind above mentioned is adapted to feed yarns devices and the construction and operation of to the needles duringreciprocatory knitting and other parts of the machine, except as hereinafter yetvt'o maintain unaltered the relative positions mentioned, are substantially the same as these deof the two yarns when knitted into the work. scribed in the patent .toBentley et al. hereinbefore The invention, accordingly, comprises yarn referred to.' j v V feeding mechanism of the type above mentioned 'Allof the yarn-feeding devices illustrated in wherein the unitary, yarn-feeding device has a the dr'awings 'are of the unitary type mentioned yarn-guiding passage in a form (for instance that in the said prior] atent; that is to say, they come of aslot) {providing spaced guiding surfaces, one prise two yarn-guiding passagesso spaced apart or the other of which surfaces acts as a yarnthat yarn issuing from one passage will be knit- 139. guide according to thedirection in which 'recipted, in the operation of the machine, over the rocatory knitting is being performed, and has yarn issuing from the other passage, as is the another yarn-guiding passage disposed substancase in plated work; The yarn-feeding devices tially midway between the spaced surfaces of illustrated may be regarded as of two different 9? the first-named passage. kinds of which one (see forinstance the device 29. The present invention also provides yarnof Figure 1) is adapted to supply two yarns 0 feeding mechanism of the kind described in the to-the needles during rotary knitting, while the said prior patent wherein the unitary yarn-feedother kind (see for instance the device 22 of Figing device'has provision for adjustment between ure 1) is adapted to supply two yarns to the its two yarn-guiding passages.v needles not only during rotary knittingbut also i529, The above and other features of the invention, 'during reciprocatory knitting in such manner all particularly pointed out in the appended that during both of these conditionsof the maf claims, will now be described in connection with chine one and the same yarn is always knitted several constructions, illustrated somewhat diaover the other. For the sake of conciseness,.the grammatically in the accompanying drawings, of feeder exemplified by the device 20 which serve as illustrative examples of the in- (Figure 1) will be referred to hereinafter as a vention. i a rotary-knitting feeder while the kind exem- In the drawings: plified by the device 22 (Figure 1) will be termed Figure 1 is a plan of one of said constructions; a reciprocatory-knitting feeder.

Figure 2 is a plan of another of said construc- Referring first to Figure 1, the mechanism 0 shown therein comprises a pair of yarnfeeders j Figure 3 is an elevation of the feeder mechain the form of levers 20, 22 pivoted at 24 to a nism shown in Figure 2, as regarded from the plate 26 supported on'a post 28 projecting u"p interior of the needle cylinders; wardly from a stationary part of the machine.

r Figure 4 is a plan of a' third construction of These feeders are moved; into and out of yarn Y feeder mechanism; feeding position about their pivot 24 in the manner described in the feeder 22 being shown in in Figure 1, in which the position of the needle cylinders is indicated at 30. The feeder 20 is a rotary-knitting feeder and is substantially the same as the feeder 12 of the said prior specification, its spaced yarn-guiding passages being indicated at 19, 21. The feeder 22, however, is a reoiprocatory-knitting feeder, one of the yarnguiding passages therein being in the form of a slot 32 over which is situated the other pas-- sage 34, which is circular in I a position substantially midway between the ends of the slot 32. When the feeder 22 is in operayarn is fed to the 34, the yarn 32 being giventhe necessary lead over-the other yarn issuing from the hole 34 owing to the relative disposition of said slot-end and hole, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. When the direction of rotation of the machine is periodically reversed, as in reciprocatory knitting, each end of the slot 32 in turn will serve as the yarn-guiding surfaces, thus maintaining the lead of one yarn over the other, irrespective of the direction of rotation of the machine.

.The construction shown in Figures 2 and 3 comprises a reciprocatory-knitting feeder 22 as described in connection with Figure 1, and a rotary-knitting feeder 36. The feeder 36 in this construction has provision for adjustment bef passages 35, 3'7 in a direction substantially height-wise or longitudinally of the needle cylinders. For this purpose,

the inner end of the lever constitutingthe feeder of the lever into two is slit at 38 lengthwise portions 40, 42 each of which has formed in it one of the passages 35, 37, the slit being of sufficient length as to permit the portions eo, 42 to be sprung relatively. In the specification of said Letters Patent there is described mechanism (see Figure 3 of the drawings of said prior patent), including a plunger 110 and a rocking arm 114, which are employed to move the feeder 12 of that specification upwardly against the action of a spring 112 to a given level in the machine when the knitting location. In the said prior patent, the yarn-feeding position portion 42 of the portion 40 of said lever being prevented from moving with, or from partaking of the full move-v ment of, the portion 42 when that portion is lifted stem 50 which passesthrough an arc-shaped slot 52 (concentric with the pivot 24) in a plate 54 secured to the underside of the plate 26 and which has threaded upon it, below the plate 5%, 58. When the lever 36 is moved upwardly by the action of the rocking arm 48 and pin 46, the nut 56 on the stem 50 engages the plate 5& and prevents the portion in from moving upwardly with the portion 42, with the result that when the latter arrives at its cross-section, at

'iatches of the needles as secured in adjusted nuts 56, 58, on the stem 50, the degree of separation of the two portions 40, 42 of the feeder lever 38 can obviously be varied. i

. The machine to which the present construction is applied may be provided with a latch guard 60, Figures 10 and 11, somewhat similar in shape to is plate ill) shown in Figure 14' of the drawings accompanying the specification of British Letters Patent No. 247,334 and comprising'an inverted V-shaped recess 62 similar to the recess "When the yarn feeder.

106 of said plate 110 constituted by the lower 7 lever 36 is swung into yarn-feeding position, it

is liable to strike the the latches pass across the lower par'tof from happening means is provided, in accordance with this invention, for closing the lower part of saidreces This means may comprise an arcshaped arm 64 carried by, or formed integral with, the yarn feeder 36 which is constituted by the lower of the said two levers, the centre of curvature of the inner. edge of saidarm being coincident with the axis of the pivot; 24 about which the yarn-feeder 36 swings in its movements between operative and inoperative positions. 1

It will beunderstood that the arc-shaped arm by reason of its shape and disposition on the feeder presents to the lower part of the inverted V-shaped recess aforesaid, a latch-guarding portion all t ..nes, that is tosay', not only when the feeder is moving into its operative position but also who i is its inoperative position. It will be noted that in the construction under considera tch guard 64 is carried by, or "had integral with, the portion 420i the feed lever 36 which acted upon 'by the rocking as pin 46 before mentioned. The guard 64., when the feeder 38 is in feeding position, will thus be v d relativelyto the portion 40, and to prev it the latchesfrom striking against the portion to and being damaged thereby, the corner of this portion is bevelled off at 66, as shown in Figures 3 and 18. Figures 10 and 11 are illustrative of the action of the latch guard or, the path of the needle latches as the needles'move to the said recess. To prevent this position in which they take the yarns 68 from the feeder, being indicated at 70 in Figure 10. i

In the construction illustrated in Figure 4, there are, as in the two constructions already described, two feeders of which the lower one is a rotary-knitting'v feeder and the upper one a recip rocatory-knitting-feeder. The lower feeder 72 is lar to the feeder 20 of Figure 1 but is providedwith a latch guard 74 similar to and functioning a similai manner to the latch guarded of Figures 2 and 3. The upper feeder76, in this construction, provision for adjustment be-- tween its two yarn-guiding passages 78, 80. The '78 is constituted by a slot which, like the constructions already described, is in a member formed on, or secured to, the inner end of the feed levenbut the passage 80 is formed in a part that is acljustably supported on the feed lever. This part is con tituted by a rod or wire 82 which is adiustably secured to the upper side of the lever 76 at a point between the inner end of the lever thepivot 24 about which the lever can swing. The passage 89 is formed near one end of the rod 82 and this end of the rod is bent at an to the remaining part or shank of the rod, the angle being such that when the rod is position on the lever 76 the axis of the yarn-guiding passage 80 extends more or less lengthwise of the lever. The rod 82 is V in a hole as (Figures and 6) 'yarn) for rotary secured to the lever 76 by a split clamp 84 and a screw 86, the shank of the rod 82 being engaged in the sleeve-like part of the clamp and the screw, passing through clearance holes 90 in the two flanges of the clamp, being threaded into ahole in the lever '76.

By the arrangement just described, when the screw 86 is loosened, theposition of the yarnguiding passage 80 in relation to be adjusted by sliding the rod 82 in the clamp 84, by turning the rod in the clamp, thus raising or lowering the bent part of the rod in which the passage 80 is situated, and by moving both rod and clamp about the axis of the screw 86. The adjusted position of the passage 80 is then maintained by tightening the screw 86, the tightening of which causes the rod 82 to be gripped by the clamp and the clamp to be secured to the lever. Thus the passage can be adjusted in three mutually perpendicular directions whereby its relation to the slotted passage '78 and its relation to the needle circle-when the lever is in yarn-feeding position-can be determined to a nicety, an advantage in certain classes of work, such for instance, as broad rib fabric.

Usually,the slot in a feeding device according to this invention is straight, in formation as is indicated in Figure '7 which is a diagrammatic end View of the feeder 22 of Figure l, and in Figure 9 which is a similar view of the feeder '76 of Figure 4, but in certain circumstances a curved slot may be advantageous. An instance of this is shown in Figure 8 which is a diagrammatic end view of a feeder provided with a slot 132 curved upwardly at its ends towards the level of the companion yarn passage 134, which latter may be adjustable in relation to the slot 132, for

' instance as in the construction of Figure 4.

It is deemed desirable here to point out that the terms slot and circular in cross-section applied herein to the yarn-guiding passages of the feeders, are intended as terms of identification and not of limitation, as other configurations of Y a feeder enabling one yarn to be fed from substantially a single point (e. g. the passage 34) and another yarn from two spaced points (e. g. the ends of the slot 32) are considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

Although in the constructions herein illustrated, each of the two yarn feeders of each construction is adapted to feed two yarns to the needles, one of said feeders, for instance the feeder 20 or '72 of Figures 1 and 4, respectively, may be adapted, as is the feeder 10 of said prior patent to Bentley et al., to feed but a single yarn. It is preferred, however, to employ the feeders illustrated as an arrangement whereby each feeder can deliver two yarns and is advantageous in that a greater variety of work canbe performed by the machine, for instance, different parts of the work may be plated, if desired with yarn from either of the feeders. Furthermore, more than two feeders may be employed, if the nature of the work to be knitted calls for such an arrangement.

It will be noted that three different kinds of yarn-feeding devices are referred to herein, viz., a device providing a single yarn-guiding passage applicable for both rotary and reciprocatory knitting; a device providing two spaced passages, applicable (when both passages are supplied with knitting; and a device providing a passage having two spaced guiding surfaces and also providing a further and separate passage situated between such surfaces, especially applithe lever '76 can v cable for reciprocatory cable for rotary knitting. It will, therefore, be appreciatedthat even if a machine be provided with but two feeders, one of each of said kinds,

large variety of work may be produced, which variety will increase employed.

Weclaim: I 1. In a circular knitting machine, yarn-feeding mechanism comprising a yarn-feeding device having two relatively-adjustable portions, two yarnguiding surfaces on one of said portions which are spaced apart to serve alternatively as yarnguides, a yarn guide on the other of said portions disposed substantially midway between said spaced surfaces, and a support upon which said with the number of feeders knitting, but also applidevice is mounted for movement'between a yarnfeeding position and an idle position.

2. In a circular knitting machine, yarn-feeding mechanism according to claim No. 1, wherein the tWo portions of the yarn-feeding device are relatively adjustable in three mutually perpendicular directions.

3.v In a circular knitting'machine, yarn-feeding mechanism comprising a support, a lever, a pivotal connection between said support and lever, said lever being divided into two portions by a division extending from an end of the lever towards said pivotal connection, a yarn guide at the free end of each of said portions, and means to spring said portions relatively, toeffect adjustment between said yarn guides.

4. Ina circular knitting machine, yarn-feeding mechanism comprising a support, a pivot carried thereon, a lever mounted on said pivot and arranged to yield lengthwise thereof, said lever being divided into two portions by a division ex tending from an end-of the lever towards said pivot, a yarn guide at the free end of each of said portions, means adapted to engage one of said portions and tending to move the lever lengthwise of its pivot, and an adjustable device adapted to-prevent movement of the other of said portions under the action of the said means, whereby on actuation of said means the said two portions of the lever are sprung relatively to a degree controlled by said adjustable device, to effect adjustment between said yarn guides.

5. In a circular knitting machine, yarn-feeding mechanism comprising a support, a lever pivoted thereon, yarn-guiding surfaces on said lever which are spaced apart to serve alternatively as yarn guides, a member constituted by two angularly disposed portions, a yarn guide on one of said portions, and an adjustable connection between said other portion and the lever, said adjustable connection permitting said member to be turned and moved endwise in said connection, and to swing with said connection on said lever, whereby the relative position of said yarn guides can be adjusted.

6. In a circular knitting machine employing needle cylinders, yarn feeding mechanism comprising a yarn feeding device having two portions relatively adjustable longitudinally of the needle cylinders, a yarn guide on each of said portions, and a support upon which said device is movably mounted as a unit between a yarn feeding position and an idling position. 

